Death Worm iPhoneReview

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Snack attack.

By Levi Buchanan

Confession time: I thought Super Mega Worm – a game I enjoyed quite a bit – was a fresh creation. I was unfamiliar with Death Worm, which was apparently the inspiration for Super Mega Worm. They are remarkably similar games. You are a carnivorous worm, exploding from beneath the ground to gobble up people and animals, explode vehicles, and even launch skyward to knock planes and choppers out of the air. But though I love the old-school aesthetic of Super Mega Worm, Death Worm is simply the superior game. It's easier to control, has a smart upgrade system, and there are multiple locations to terrorize.

You control the titular Death Worm with a virtual stick instead of a slider bar (Super Mega Worm's control mechanism of choice). Though I didn't have many problems with the slider bar, the virtual stick in Death Worm is so much simpler to use. I had a much easier time crashing into my targets, whether they were tigers or jet planes, as well as nimbly escaping incoming fire. The virtual stick makes Death Worm instantly more accessible.

Noms.

I also really like Death Worm's upgrade system. As you level up (by fulfilling kill targets), you select upgrades for your worm's speed, size, damage resistance, and power-up capabilities. Your worm has fireballs that are ideal for blasting planes overhead or incinerating ground targets while you stay safely underground. (There are some objectives that task you with eliminating a set number of surface-dwellers without getting hit. Fireballs are great for fulfilling this requirement.) The speed at which you earn upgrades keeps you hooked, as you know another reward is always just around the corner.

Death Worm includes three different environments to terrorize, although you must put up high scores on the first stage to unlock the second, and so on. Each stage has dozens of different enemies, such as jungle cats, ambulances, soldiers, prop jets, UFOs, and more. The stages are detailed, but the camera zooms really far back when you are trucking along at full speed. For a closer look, spin around the slow your worm. The camera zooms in nice and tight to your worm's gaping maw just as it noms on the feet of a New Yorker on an evening stroll.

The Verdict

Death Worm is a very fun, very quirky iPhone game. Thanks to Super Mega Worm, it&#Array;s been robbed of its freshness, but I still had a good time playing it and unlocking all three stages. According to the developer, more stages and minigames are on the way if Death Worm is a success. So, do me a favor and do your part. I want to buckle the sidewalks under a new city and watch the innocents scatter before the horror that is&#Array; the Death Worm!